Biden Speaks to Scranton Crowd

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video

SCRANTON -- Vice President Joe Biden told a crowd of thousands gathered in Scranton Tuesday night that he felt right back at home.

In a 10-minute speech, Biden spoke about his Scranton roots and the importance of family.

Biden is an Electric City native who left the city when he was 10 years old.

"My name is Joe Biden and as strange as it sounds, everything important in my life that I've learned here in Scranton, I'm serious," Biden told the cheering crowd.

Folks brought lawn chairs, blankets, some stood or sat on the grass to hear Biden speak.

"It's nice that he visits now and then, too, you know? So like I say, everybody liked him way back," said Fran Torquato of Scranton.

Biden's visit was a re-election campaign visit, but his speech was not political. Some like Gregory Palmer from Hazleton were hoping to hear more about issues like job creation.

Palmer has been out of work since September.

"At 61 years of age, I can't find a job, for the past 12 years, I had a job with benefits and everything was taken care of and now I don't have a job, so what do I do?" asked Palmer.

During his talk, Biden thanked the troops, especially those who came from Northeastern Pennsylvania.

"You are the grit, the sinew and the soul of what freedom is all about, sounds corny, but you really are, you are a special group of people, this is a special place and this soul is thick with pride and loyalty," said Biden.